The detached farmhouse, outbuildings and 15 acres of land sold for £170,000 more than its guide price of £600,000.

Adrian Little, head of the auction department at Mark Jenkinson and Son, said: "This was our strongest auction of the year so far and the sale of Spitewinter Farm played a big part.

"It represented an outstanding restoration and development opportunity, set in its superb rural location with views in all directions, and even with a reduction of land from 24 acres down to 15.5 acres, it still sold for an impressive £170,00 over the guide price.

"The popularity of unmodernised properties we saw in our previous auction continued, too.

"The demand for unmodernised houses, in particular, is extremely strong at the moment as smaller builders and investors seek out projects to be developing over the winter period in readiness for the spring market."